New Projects

What fun would it be if I always talked about losing weight???? 

Actually, I don't have great results to post this week.  I gained a couple pounds back.

Can I just say how TOTALLY frustrating it is to work out 6 days this past week, have absolutely no results to post, and actually GAIN some weight back with NO inches lost.  :(  <----Yes, picture my sad face, because that is exactly how I feel today in regards to my Skinny Gal Diaries. 

My only confession is that I didn't do well with documenting what I ate like I usually do every week.  I did eat conservatively, but not the best of food.  So, in the end the pot luck lunch, P.F. Changs, and Qudoba did me in for the week. 

Those bastards! 

Anyways, so I decided to shift focus on some of my cool projects I have been working on.  As I stated in previous post, I started my own photography business back in October last year, because I couldn't ever get a photographer to call me back for Brynn's newborn pictures.  This past weekend I did a shoot of a baby shower and took a few photos of Brynn. 

Here are a few of the baby shower: 
   

I love this one of Mommy and Daddy to baby Wyatt

Daddy helping preggo Momma with cutting the cake.

This photo is of the Momma to be with her sister and mother's hands. 

That's a few of the ones I have edited so far.  I LOVED her dress and it was great for color since I like to add light and color to all my photos. 

Some photographers like to wash everything out and make the picture lighter than it should be, but I like to make the photos as vibrant and as close to the actual picture as I can without changing the way the photo looks. 

I HATE it when photographers make the color of some one's eyes a different color than what they actually are!!  It's just a lie.... 

THE PHOTO IS A LIE PEOPLE!!   

I typically will add additional color and lighting to the scenery and sometimes clothing.  I do like to add lighting, but not the entire picture to where it changes the way some one's face looks.     

Here are the few I took of Brynnie.  It was one of those days where Brynn wanted to be extremely clingy to Mommy and so she wouldn't smile, look at the camera, or give me anything to really work with, BUT sometimes I think the non-posed pictures are even better than the ones that are posed.  Plus, I think my daughter is beautiful any way you take her (happy, sad, overly needy, etc.)  and at any angle (of course I am very biased since she is my first kiddo).   

Here's the best part about the pictures of Brynn........  I can finally say I have been fully domesticated!!!  With the help of my mother, I sewed and made the dress she is wearing.  I also make most of Brynn's bows, so I did these as well.  :)

I think this has became my new favorite picture of Brynn.  She has that look of defeat on her face, because I took a whirly wind (??  that's what my Mom kept calling it) thing from her so she would look up at my camera. 

She has the most beautiful eyes.  They are VERY blue and have a white star burst to them on the inside surrounding the pupil.  She also has some very full eyelashes that she inherited from Daddy.  :)

And, Hello, how cute is that dress????    

OMG, I can't stop looking at this one!

  

 



Another great one.  The sunbeam was SO pretty on this one. 

Here's a good one of the dress!!!

In this one she was talking to the plant.  Can you tell they were having a great conversation? 

The "No, Mommy, I am NOT smiling for you!" 

Get that camera out of my face!

And lastly......  I love the coloring of this one!

I hope everyone is having a great Monday!



Buffalo Chicken Cheese Ball

Buffalo Chicken Cheese Ball

Ingredients

1 cup of cooked chicken

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup of crumbled blue cheese

1/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup of Ranch dressing

1/2- 4 oz can of diced jalapenos-minced, cut to small pieces

1/2 tbls of Frank's red hot sauce (buffalo)-- maybe more if you like it really spicy

1 cup of cheddar cheese for coating the outside of cheese ball

Directions:  Mix top ingredients together very well and form ball.  Cover the outside with cheddar cheese.

You can use whatever you want into the dip.  I liked the carrots and celery better than the crackers with this particular cheese ball. 

TGIF-Motivational Friday

Thank goodness it's Friday!  It's been a LONG week.  On Monday I had to wake up at 4 am with only 4 hours of sleep and drive up to Indy for Tom's funeral.  Of course, it was an emotional day and I spent 7 hours in a car.  I did happen to splurge with a co-worker and run downtown to P.F. Changs, in which I ate too much and not the healthiest food.  That one meal set me back for the week on my weight loss, so I am hoping that I can at least pull out something positive from this week. 

I still have worked out every day this week, including one day I took a break from Turbo Fire and did a 3 mile-1/2 walk, 1/2 run (It was the first time I have ran in 6 years!!!).  Even Monday after the 7 hour car ride, I forced myself to do TF 45 since I felt tight from the drive. 

Today we have a potluck in memory of Tom at work.  He worked at our school for 22 years, so he left a lot of memories with all of us.

I made two very unhealthy cheese balls for the event.  One was so good that I had a hard time not sampling it-last night.  I will post the recipes either later today or on Monday.  I made a Buffalo Chicken Cheese Ball.... What?  Did someone say Buffalo Chicken???  I am seriously a Buffalo Chicken whore, I could eat it any way as long as it has that tasty sauce on it!!!  I also made my usual Hawaiian Cheese Ball too. 

So with that said, I MUST remain strong today with all the yummy food around here.  Work usually sabotages me every week, at least this time it's for a good reason and purpose.

Anyways, let's get some motivation up in here!!!!  Yep!  So true--->

<-----  Wow, I WANT that!  Maybe not that thin, but definitely that defined!  Girl has got it going on!!!! 

Yep, I agree with this one too.--->

I love the hip cut on both men and women.  It's that spot in the abs that makes the "V" to your sweet spot on your lower tummy.  :)  That's the best way I can describe it.  It's just a SEXY location and points down to the right direction.  LOL.  Alright, maybe that is too far, but between that and back muscles, they just do it for me!  I am determined to have these some day!  :)  HEY!  I am dreaming big here, and when you set goals and dream big, you can make it happen! 

   

Have a great weekend! 

-Skinny Gal.....  Somewhere. 

A Positive Influence

So, after reading Mama Laughlin's criticism on the Internet about how working out makes her a bad parent (blah, blah, blah), I thought I'd talk about how working out can be a position influence on your kiddos. 

First off, I am an avid reader and follower of Mama Laughlin.  She actually inspired me to start my own blog.  Not that she even knows who I am and I'm pretty sure she doesn't follow me.  Anyways, you can read her entertaining blog- HERE.  She is a Mommy of two adorable boys, she just ran her first half marathon, and is great at inspiring people to get off the couch and get moving.  She is also pretty funny, which I enjoy as well. 

Any who, some haters found at this link --Get a life people!-- said that she didn't care for her children and is a bad parent, because she is more into losing weight and herself than taking care of them.

I have two children (one full-time, one part-time), and I work out at least 45 mins every day with no excuses.  I also actually have 3 jobs (One full time job that pays the big bucks and all of our bills in our home, I started a photography business about 6 months ago that is starting to pick up, and I just became a Beachbody coach/consultant).  Does that make me a bad parent too? 

There are some days I feel like I want and need more time with Brynn, BUT I have been overweight for 6 years now, and I am finally putting an end to it.  It's important to me, my family, and it DOES send a VERY positive message to your children. 

I would like to someday see my children have children and if I don't take care of myself now, that may not happen! 

Here are some fun facts:

• Two out of three individuals are overweight in America
• More than 1/3 of children or adolescents are overweight or obese
• According to the national statistics, I live in the FATTEST city in America-Evansville, IN 

I'll be damned if I let me children go through the troubles of obesity or being overweight while growing up.  I've been there and it isn't fun! 

With my step-daughter, Samantha, I really don't have much say in what she eats and does.   She doesn't eat well (mainly mac and cheese, grilled cheese, hot dogs, and sugar, sugar, sugar).  She also doesn't seem to want to stick to any physical activity.  She started soccer and quit after one season, because she only wanted the participation trophy and just here recently she started karate for maybe 2 months and quit.  She is only 7 years old, and I try to remind myself that, but I just fear that her actions and eating habits will catch up to her some day.  I am hoping she will grow out of her picky eating phase.  If you don't feed her what she wants (the list of crap above), she just doesn't eat.  I've gotten to the point where I've given up with her eating habits, and so I just let Shawn feed her now.  Shawn is a horrible eater as well, and I somewhat feel like his influence hasn't helped. He'll side with her, WHICH IS WHY HE FEEDS HER NOW.  :)

With Brynn, so far she seems like she is going to be a really good eater.  She likes all the fruits and veggies I give her and she may make a face, but she will at least eat them.  At least I will have ONE person in the house to eat healthy food with me!!  :)

I have some photos to share that just proves that working out in front of your children can be a positive influence!!!    

This is Brynnie, she has one hell of a plank going on. 

She can actually do a better plank and hold it longer than I can. 

I'm jealous!  She's always trying to out do me.

It's no wonder that her tummy is shrinking faster than mine.  That over achiever! 

Here she is already picking up the resistance bands. 

LOL 

Hey, Mommy does it!   Why can't she?

I actually have two sets of bands.  I'll work on my Tone 30 from Turbo Fire, while she drools on this old set.

And lastly, Grandpa keeps working toward having her as his lil' golfer, so here she is with his golfing hat on.

I personally don't care for golfing, but if she's active then I'll be happy regardless.

Cute little stinker!  I swear, she's such a ham.  She instantly starts to smile when I pick up my camera phone.  

It's like -- SHE..... JUST.....  KNOWS!  :) 

I love my baby more than ANYTHING!!  If I ever felt like working out became a problem with her OR if I felt like I was "neglecting her", I would drop the time spent working out or lessen my time spent on my workouts. 

Typically, my hour of working out is her time with daddy.  So, she isn't neglected and for the most part she chills with her toys or in her activity center until either I am finished or if she gets upset, then daddy comes to the rescue and spends time with her.  

If I am at home working out with just her and I there and she just happens to get upset, then I stop my TF DVD and say, "Well, at least I got 20 mins in, or 30, or hell, even 15 mins is a step in the right direction."  

As parents, we all want what's best for our kiddos.  I think my biggest fear with doing Turbo Fire is that Brynn will grow up wanting to kick and punch other kids.  LOL 

BUT HEY, I know that exercising in front of her shows that:  A). Mommy cares about her body and her health, B). Mommy cares about being able to run around in the backyard and play with Brynnie  C). Mommy is being a position role model in hopes that Brynnie will some day care about her health and fitness.  D).  Mommy has hopes that through exercising in front of Brynnie that she will always be an active child and get involved in various activities.  

Thanks all!  :)  Happy Thursday everyone!   

I got your back Mama L!

        

Bourbon Chicken Kabobs

Bourbon Chicken Kabobs

These to me tasted like bourbon chicken that you get from the Chinese places at the malls and such.  It wasn't what I was going for, since I was just throwing things together and this is what came out.  :)  I wouldn't be able to tell you the nutrition aspect of it like I usually do, since everyone can cut however many little pieces of chicken they wanted onto their kabob sticks.  I can't imagine it would be too terribly bad for you though. 

Ingredients

1-1.5 lbs of raw chicken tenders

4 tbls of low sodium soy sauce

3 tbls of Jack Daniels (honey smokehouse) barbecue sauce

2 tbls of olive or canola oil

1/4 tsp of powder garlic

1/4 tsp of pepper

Cut and clean up raw chicken tenders.  I am pretty anal about cleaning up my bird before eating it, it has to have all fat, skin, and any visible veins and such removed.  I probably waste a lot of good meat on it, but I'd rather do that than crunch down on something that will make me feel sick.  It's a texture thing I guess.

Mix together all the other ingredients.  Put aside 1/3 of the solution in a cup.  Use the remaining 2/3's of the solution as a marinade in the fridge for 30 mins.  

You may have to make more of the marinade if you have more chicken.  

Take the marinaded chicken out and put the pieces of chicken onto the kabob sticks.  I have metal ones, but you can use wooden as well.  

You may need to coat your grill with Pam to keep the chicken from sticking.

Cook on second shelf of your grill (if you have a second shelf) so the the heat isn't direct.  

Flip every 5 mins until cooked and each time you flip them, make sure to coat some more sauce on them for a ton of flavor and tenderness.  

 

ENJOY!

Update

Results from Sunday.  I lost 5 lbs this past week and only 1/2" in my tummy, BUT I am feeling thinner every day and I think the weight I did lose are in areas I don't measure.  So, it's going somewhere.  :)  I give some MAJOR credit to Shakeology this week.  It was my first full week being on Shake-o and everything they advertise about it is TRUE.  It kept me full, I felt great, and I didn't crave ANYTHING (since the shake is full of nutrients that your body needs and doesn't get on a normal basis).  For those of you who read my blog and might be interested in learning more or buying it, I wrote post on Shakeology- here.    

I had a fast paced weekend to the point where I had a hard time keeping up with everything.  So, I wanted to share some of the pictures.  I'm really sad that picnik.com closed down, because it was the photo editor I use to lighten pictures and so they picture quality looks like crap, but at least you can get the point.

I bought my first curling wand on Friday and I LOVE IT!  IT ABSOLUTELY ROCKS!  I decided to go with the fluffy half way up hair on Saturday for the Bachorette/Bachelor party that I attended.  Here are some photos of the do!

Look at that head of hair of mine!  lol  I have medium thick hair and when I curl it,,,, WOW....  It gets big, BUT I am a southern gal and I like it that way.  I'm also big on hair accessories, so I put in a tiny hot pink bow in as well.  I think someone asked me while we were out if I put one of my daughter's bows in my hair, but it's actually all me... I didn't steal from my daughter's bow pile, I have my own.  :)   

Just a close up....  I felt like the make-up was rockin' along with everything else for Saturday.  Not that I am conceded, but I'm starting to feel better about the way that I look and more confident. 

Shawn and I haven't taken a photo together in a very long time, so I made him take one with me.  He's not the best with pictures and he has a hard time keeping his eyes open, but luckily we got one that's close enough to having his eyes open.  lol

I'm doing the super cheese in this one, but I was having a great time out with all my friends.  CJ and I are the first two coaches in Team Lollapaloser for my Beachbody group.  I'm super excited to have CJ as one of my coaches, he's energetic, fun, outspoken, and is totally committed to doing the P90X challenge.  I'm lucky to have him!!

ANNNNNDDD!  I wanted to show a TWO week difference with doing Turbo Fire and Shake-O.

Hopefully, you can tell which one is the before and which one is the after.  I've notice my tummy pouch is getting smaller from the two week progress as well as my core (all around) and chest.  Even though it doesn't look like it, I am the same distance in both pictures from the mirror, I did have 5 inch heels on in the black top, so that might be the difference and the lighting was better in the first one.  No photo editing other than to crop out my nasty vanity.  :)  Let me know what you think, can you tell the difference?

 

Sloppy Janes

Sloppy Janes

This is one of my all time favorite health foods.  It's so good that I have a hard time eating one serving.  It's full of flavor and SO easy to make.

Ingredients:
1 lb. raw extra-lean ground turkey
5 small light hamburger buns (I actually use the sandwich thins in the picture above for less carbies 100% whole grain/wheat)
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped red bell peppers
1 small can of tomato paste
1 tbsp of sugar

1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. dry steak seasoning blend

Directions: Spray a large pan with nonstick spray, and bring to medium-high heat. Add turkey to the pan with onion, green pepper, and red pepper, and steak seasoning. Spread the meat around in the pan to break it up a bit until cooked and DO NOT DRAIN JUICE.

Reduce heat to medium.

Add Worcestershire sauce and vinegar to the pan. Stir, and then continue to cook for 5 minutes.

Add tomato paste and sugar to the pan and stir well. Reduce heat to low, and cook the mixture for an additional 3-5 minutes.

Toast the buns, if desired. 

Serving Size: 1 sandwich
Calories: 271
Fat: 3g
Sodium: 835mg
Carbs: 32g
Fiber: 3g
Sugars: 8g
Protein: 31g

POINTS® value 5*

I oringally found this recipe on www.hungry-girl.com, but I have changed it up quite a bit.to make it a thicker Sloppy Jane, and I didn't want to use artificial sweetners, so there ya go!